Thoughts on the military and military activities of a diverse nature. Free-ranging and eclectic.

Saturday, January 24, 2004

This is coolbert: The AK-47. One of the most successful weapons of all time. The 47 stands for the year it was originally developed. Now, it has been over fifty years with the AK in existence and proliferating all over the world. And has it proliferated! The cost for a brand new AK in the current world market is about $60! And the ammo is also cheaply obtained in abundance. About 100 million AK's now in circulation! And the impact this weapon has had in the world just has to be staggering. Especially in what used to be called the third world. Factions fighting civil wars and wars with their "neighbors" arm their forces with the AK. This seems to be the weapons of choice. The devastation these armies can wreak with the AK is just astounding. Where before militias of small nations and the private armies of warlords were equipped with hand-me-down weaponry, at the figurative bows and arrows stage of development, now they can have at their disposal an assault rifle of the highest caliber. And how they use the AK. When you see video of these "fighters" in battle, the common practice seems to be to just spray a whole magazine of thirty rounds in the general direction of the opposition. Not even really aiming. Who needs sophisticated weaponry when an army of Ak toting "fighters' can do the job?